Swish & Flick?
by tennismaniac19
Summary: OWLs are proving to be difficult for a certain Quidditch Captain. Can Oliver stop obsessing about the Slytherin game with his new Seeker to actually pay attention in class? [Written for The Quidditch League Fanfiction]
**Team: Puddlemere United**

 **Position: Keeper**

 **Round 2**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Oliver was busy scribbling in his Quidditch notebook during Flitwick's lecture. They were studying the proper wand movement of a Stunning Spell. However, with the Gryffindor-Slytherin match around the corner, Oliver was preoccupied with training his new Seeker, Harry Potter. He barely noticed what Flitwick was saying.

"Now, I will pair all of you up. Take turns alternating between casting the charm and blocking it."

Oliver began registering the movement around him as people began shuffling about him. He heard Flitwick squeak out his name and he moved to where he was being pointed. His partner was a girl from his House, whom he had hardly ever spoken to: Victoria McCaul.

"Now, Mr. Wood, try to stun Ms. McCaul here, and after a few minutes, change places."

It took Oliver a few seconds to gather his bearings, and he looked at the girl standing opposite. Her short black hair was pinned back, and she was staring at him determinedly. They got into position and Oliver raised his wand, trying desperately to recall what Flitwick had just been teaching.

"Stupefy!" he shouted, as a jet of red light flew out of his wand.

"Protego!" yelled Victoria, easily blocking his spell with a simple flick of her wrist.

He frowned at her and lowered his wand.

"Try again," she said simply.

"Stupefy!" Oliver bellowed, his wand moving much more aggressively this time.

"Protego!"

Once again his spell was blocked. This went on for a few minutes before Flitwick came over and asked them to switch.

"Stupefy!"

A jet of red light hit Oliver square in the chest, and he staggered backwards, feeling slightly winded.

"Well done, Ms. McCaul!" said Flitwick, beaming at Victoria. "Let's give it another go, shall we? Let's see if you can do better this time, Mr. Wood."

Oliver stretched his arms before getting into position. He wouldn't let her get him this time. He could see Flitwick watching them from the corner of his eye.

"Stupefy!"

"Protego!"

He was able to cast a very flimsy shield, but Victoria's spell burst through it and hit him, albeit with much less force.

No matter how many times she cast the spell at him, he just couldn't seem to be able to block it.

"I think it's time to give Mr. Wood another go at Stunning," said Flitwick, his eyes twinkling beneath his glasses.

After an exhausting hour of practice, Oliver felt extremely grumpy. He had only managed to hit Victoria a couple of times and left her slightly winded; she, on the other hand, had knocked him out five times and ripped through his shield on every attempt.

He was preparing to leave when he heard someone call out his name.

"I'd like to have a word with you, Wood," Flitwick said, while clearing away the things on his desk with a flick of his wand.

"Yes, Professor."

The Charms teacher motioned to a seat beside him and summoned two glasses of pumpkin juice from nearby.

"I won't keep you from your lunch break. I just wanted to discuss your academic work, Wood. You've always been a bright student, but I can see that you're struggling a little this year."

"Yes, sir. This hasn't been my best year," Oliver said, sheepishly.

"I understand that Quidditch is one of your main priorities, but I do think you can do much better in class. Tell me, what exactly are you having trouble with?" Flitwick's tone held no hint of reprimands, and Oliver felt his body ease slightly.

"Uhm, just the things we've covered this year."

"I see. Luckily, we've only covered two spells so far and your Stunning Spell wasn't too bad today. We will be working on it for a few more classes, so I don't think you should worry too much about it. As for the other spell, I believe a little more practice with the Silencing Charm will help you get back on track," he said, with a kind smile.

Oliver nodded his head, still unsure of why Flitwick had asked him to stay back just to tell him this. Flitwick must have sensed this, because he tilted his head to one side and surveyed him closely.

"You don't look like you're completely satisfied with this discussion. Why is that, Mr. Wood?"

Oliver flushed at being so completely transparent about his emotions. But in a very characteristic way, he responded truthfully.

"I don't really understand why you asked me to stay back particularly. There are other students whose grades are slipping because of extra-curricular activities. So, why only me?"

Flitwick chuckled and settled down more comfortably in his seat.

"I've been teaching for a long time, my boy, and I know talent when I see it. It may not be apparent to you, or to a lot of the other teachers, but Minerva and I know you are capable of much more than this. Don't underestimate yourself."

Oliver was startled to hear Flitwick say this. Never in his entire life, had anyone talked about him in conjunction with anything except Quidditch. It was something that he loved and something that came naturally to him. So, naturally, he pursued that with complete determination. As a result, everyone around him believed that that was all he could ever be good at.

"I, uh, don't understand."

"Very simply put, Quidditch is not the only thing you can be good at. You have a flair for Charms and Transfiguration. Don't let that go to waste. What you lack is not effort, but belief. Come to me on Saturday and we'll see about your Silencing Charm."

Oliver nodded, not really believing what he had just heard. Out of all the people in the world, he had never expected Flitwick to say something like this to him! He resolved to practice the Silencing Charm before Saturday, even though he had a few practices lined up during the interim.

…

It was late afternoon on Saturday when Oliver walked into Flitwick's office. The Charms professor was writing something on a piece of parchment and looked up with a bright smile when he saw his student enter.

"So, let's see what you can do. I've got three targets for you to practice the spell on. The first is a bullfrog. Now, remember the wand movement and channel your intent clearly," he said, opening the lid of a box and bringing out the animal in question.

Oliver nodded his head, more confident than he had been in class this year, and gripped his wand tightly.

"Silencio!" he said, waving the wand in the prescribed motion.

The bullfrog stopped croaking immediately, though Oliver could still see its vocal muscles moving.

'Excellent! Now, let us move on to the next target. If you recall, ravens are slightly trickier than bullfrogs," Flitwick said, while scurrying off to the back of the room and taking out a large cage.

The raven looked at Oliver with beady eyes and cawed shrilly. Flitwick gave him an encouraging smile and beckoned him to continue.

"Silencio!"

This time, the spell didn't work properly. Even though the volume had decreased, the raven's cawing could still be heard.

"What did I do wrong, sir?" Oliver asked, with a slight frown.

"Ah yes, like I said, ravens are trickier than bullfrogs. Your wand movement needs to be absolutely precise. Remember the pattern that I drew in class," he waved his wand and the exact hand movement was scrawled on the blackboard, "You need to do it exactly like that. The tiniest amount of deviation can hinder your spell."

Oliver scanned the pattern and practiced it once before turning towards the bird. He looked at it directly and pointed his wand towards it.

"Silencio!"

The raven appeared to have lost its voice altogether and Oliver couldn't help grinning as Flitwick squeaked in delight.

"Wonderful work, my dear boy! Excellent! Now the final test is-"

There was a sudden crash and they both looked around, startled. Peeves had dropped a suit of armor outside in the corridor, and when Oliver and Flitwick went out to see, he blew raspberries at them.

"If it isn't Woody, the Broomstick Boy. And he's with the wee, bitty, Professorness."

"That, my boy, is your final target," said Flitwick with a wide grin on his face.

Oliver's eyebrow shot up, but he smirked slightly at the thought of getting a teacher's approval for silencing Peeves. He aimed his wand at the poltergeist and quickly cast the spell before he could vanish.

"Silencio!"

Peeves grasped his throat and struggled about, no sound coming out of him. Flitwick clapped his hands together and squeaked in delight.

"Excellent work! Ten points to Gryffindor!"

Oliver grinned and but his wand back. He thanked Flitwick, and they both walked back to his office.

The older wizard opened his desk drawer, and pulled out a tin of cupcakes from it. He took out a handful and placed them in front of Oliver. With a quick flick of his wand, the cupcakes started dancing about on the desk.

"A slight preview of what you'll be learning next year. And perhaps a little bit of incentive," Flitwick chuckled, handing over a cupcake to a delighted Oliver.

"Good luck against Slytherin! We're all very excited to see Mr. Potter in action!" he squeaked in excitement, as Oliver finished his cupcake and prepared to leave.

Near the door, he spotted a wooden picture frame. It was of a young boy, grinning and holding onto his broom.

"Professor," Oliver turned around, slightly puzzled, "This boy…"

"Looks a lot like someone you know?" Flitwick grinned, and walked over to his side.

"That's my nephew. He was a Ravenclaw Beater in school. Highly talented at Potions, but he never got the encouragement he needed. He didn't manage to secure an O in the subject because of his Quidditch commitments. And it is well known that an E does not allow you to take up Potions at NEWT level. I always regretted the fact. He gave up on a subject which he was naturally inclined towards because he, and others around him, believed he wasn't good enough," he finished with a sigh.

Oliver stared at the young boy in the picture, who looked remarkably like him.

…

* * *

 **Cheers!**


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